So today was the day. Here's the stuff I brought along: My canner, some empty quart jars (seven, since that's all my canner will hold), lids, rings, sample jars of canned meat, my canning book, some bacon and chicken breasts (the other meats were provided by the hostess), and all the little accouterments needed for canning: jar lifter, tongs, kitchen timer, etc.
Rather than going to the LDS church (which has a kitchen the size of a postage stamp with no room for people to see what I'm doing), a church member with a large and luxurious home graciously opened it up for the class.
About a dozen people attended (I couldn't fit them all in the picture) and we all had a lot of fun. The attendees ranged from fairly experienced canners to utter beginners, and they asked a bajillion questions, all of them excellent. We canned bear meat (hey, this is Idaho), pork sausage, chicken breasts, and bacon. By the end of the class, even the folks who were most concerned about the supposed dangers of pressure canners (a common fear, I now realize) were energized to give it a try.
I really enjoy doing stuff like this. I adore canning and can almost can in my sleep, so to be able to share some of the joy of canning with other enthusiastic learners was a pleasure.
